Board of directors

Ms. Somerville holds a BA in history and an MA in secondary education from Stanford University. She also holds a doctorate from USC and has studied at Stanford-in-France.

Over the course of her career she has supervised and evaluated both staff and managers, directed the creation of multi-million-dollar budgets.

Larry Johnson brings years of volunteer experience for Bay Area nonprofits and his background in engineering, manufacturing, and marketing for Hewlett Packard to his position on the RHC board. Elected to the board in 2022, Mr. Johnson got his MA in engineering and MBA from Boston University, after serving as Company Commander of an aircraft maintenance company in the U.S. Army.

Diane Hart is a nationally recognized educator, author, and assessment consultant. She has written textbooks on U.S. history, world history, geography, civics and government, and economics, most of which are still used in elementary, middle, and high schools across the country. She also authored the first civics text for Palau, a newly emerging nation in the South Pacific.

Diane has consulted with a wide range of clients on curriculum and instructional design issues. She has worked with departments of education in several states on the development of standards-based social studies assessments. She also worked with the US Army and Air Force creating cross-cultural competency training programs to prepare military personnel to work effectively in cultures very different from their own. And she served on a number of non-profit boards including the National Council for the Social Studies and the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society. As a writer, Diane was passionate about engaging all students in the compelling drama of human development across time and space. As an educator, she was equally passionate about preparing young people deal successfully with life in an increasingly complex world.

Now retired, Diane and her husband Peter are focusing on the preservation of biodiversity in the face of climate change. They love their new life at The Forum with its culture of friendliness and volunteerism, a culture Diane hopes to nurture while serving on the RHC Board of Directors

Throughout his career as a Super Techie, Engineering Executive, Venture Capital Angel, Strategic Planner, Chief Financial Officer, and Strategic Partner Broker, Mr. Jonekait has been involved in executive management and business development.

Mrs. Stearns’ clinical background as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner served as a foundation for 25 years in medical device R&D.  Her time in industry was devoted to development and oversight of domestic and international clinical trials. At The Forum, she has implemented avenues for resident engagement and chaired our Emergency Preparedness Committee.

Dr. Ralph T Cheng earned his PhD (1967) degree from UC Berkeley. He began an academic career for several years. In 1974, Dr. Cheng joined the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) in a National Research Program (NRP) within the Water Resources Division (WRD) as the Project Chief for Studies of Physical Circulation in San Francisco Bay until retirement as a Senior Research Hydrologist (Research Grade RT).
He is recognized nationally and internationally in his research field. He collaborated with colleagues from other Federal and State Agencies as well as academic colleagues worldwide. In Addition, Dr. Cheng served as the Research Advisor for the Surface Water Discipline of NRP, assisting the NRP Chief in managing and advising about 30 scientists for several years. In recognition of his service, Dr. Cheng was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in May 2007 — the highest honorary award bestowed upon an employee by the Department of the Interior. Dr Cheng brings analytical rigor, collaborative spirit, and hard-earned financial wisdom to serve on the Board.

Katharine Rosenberry is a professor of law emeritus and attorney. During her career, she specialized in the law relating to shared ownership, which includes resident-owned communities like the Forum. She has written a couple of thousand pages on the law and its implementation, and her work has been cited by the courts and the New York Times.
When on sabbatical, she served as Senior Consultant to a California legislative committee and was responsible for drafting the original Davis-Stirling Act, the law governing the Forum’s form of ownership. She also served as an expert witness in resident disputes. A major problem in these disputes is that the parties do not share the same assumptions, so she created a cross-cultural communication course, which she taught in the U.S., England, and China. A major reason she chose the Forum is that it is the only continuing care community in the area where residents have equity ownership and control over the decisions affecting the operation of their community.

Kathy Brown was the first new villa resident to arrive in June 2020. She is an RN who brings acute care, financial and regulatory experience from local hospitals and independent consulting. She is pleased to serve as President of RSI and a member of the RHC Finance Committee.

Dr. Bush is a retired neurologist from the local community and a Forum member since 2022.

Graciela was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she studied biology. She accepted an invitation to come to the United States to work at Stanford University in the laboratory of Phil Hanawalt, whom she had met at a conference in Brazil. What began as a one-year stint turned into a lifelong love affair with both scientific research and Phil. They married and had two children. Graciela completed her PhD research and thesis, developed her own research interests, trained students, obtained grants, and presented her work in scientific journals and at conferences. She also volunteered with various nonprofit organizations. She retired in 2017 to devote more time to interests such as French conversation, a book club, gardening, and travel. Phil and Graciela moved to the Forum in April 2022, and they are both delighted with the community.

Margery Fischbein is pleased to serve as the RSI Treasurer. Margery is currently a Managing Director at Cassel Salpeter, a Miami-based investment banking firm. Previously, Margery was the Head of Healthcare Investment Banking at JMP Securities, FBR &Co., and Seaport Global, three mid-size investment banking firms. Prior to that, Margery was a Managing Director in Healthcare Investment Banking at major Wall Street investment banks including Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan Chase, and Citigroup. She has also held executive positions at two biotechnology companies– ImClone Systems and Human Genome Sciences. Margery received a BA degree from Harvard College in Economics and a MBA from Harvard Business School. She was past President and is a current Board Member Emeritus of the Harvard Business School Club of New York. She also serves on the Board of Cytodel, a private biotechnology company. She has been a Board member of several communities where she has lived including her NYC cooperative building and her residential community in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Coming Soon.

After coming to the United States as foreign student in 1960, Eiko Johnson received a full tuition scholarship from the University of Hartford in Connecticut where she studied Applied Mathematics and later received her MBA and additional computer science education in California. Eiko spent 20 years at Hewlett-Packard as a first and second level leader managing a group of engineers developing and testing industrial minicomputers along with recruitment services at the company. After retiring from Hewlett-Packard, Eiko dedicated 20 years as a volunteer for a non-profit organization called EMQ Auxiliary/Butter Paddle that provides services to children of neglect and abuse. There she served as president, manager, treasurer, volunteer, among many other roles, during her time at the organization.
At The Forum, Eiko proudly serves as an RSI Board Member and a trained volunteer at Daffodil Ridge.

Rick Exline is pleased to serve as a RSI Board Member. Rick Exline is a veteran in the senior living industry. He served as the Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director of Life Plan Communities at LCS until his retirement in 2024. His LCS career spanned 44 years.

At LCS, Rick played a pivotal role in the company’s growth and service to seniors’ trajectory, spearheading its transformation from a small startup to the second-largest senior living provider in the United States. His journey within LCS saw him ascend through various roles, from Administrator to Executive Director, Regional Operations Manager, Director of Operations Management, Senior Director of Operations Management, VP of Development, Senior VP of Operations, and ultimately, managing Director of Life Plan Communities.

A visionary leader, Rick pioneered resident satisfaction assessments in the senior living sector, laying the groundwork for LCS’s commitment to being a resident-centered provider. Under his guidance, LCS achieved unparalleled recognition as the nation’s top performer in resident satisfaction by JD Power since the award’s inception in 2018.

Beyond his contributions within LCS, Rick actively engaged with the broader senior living community, holding leadership positions, board memberships, and advisory roles. Notably, he served on the board of directors of the Indiana Association of Homes for the Aging and the board of advisors of Leading Age.

Rick’s leadership mirrored the core principles of LCS, earning him a reputation as a trusted leader with a respected voice in the industry. He is known for his thoughtful perspective and unwavering commitment to doing what is right for residents, With an unyielding dedication to not-for-profit life plan and resident-owned communities.